What will be next season's "a la mode"? We look back at the 2014-15 Autumn/Winter Paris Collection and analyze the upcoming trends, taking into account historical background. Finally, we turn to the suddenly popular clutch bag.

The history of the clutch bag is actually surprisingly long. In the 1910s, women in high society carried clutch bags, carrying lipstick, solid perfume, notepads for exchanging contact information, pencils, and small wallets. They appeared in styles that matched the fashion of the time, with Art Deco styles in the 1920s, slim and long styles in the 1960s, and soft styles in the 1970s.

In the late 1990s, a handbag boom occurred, and medium- to large-sized bags known as editor's bags and icon bags gained popularity. For working women, bags large enough to hold A4-sized documents became the standard, and clutches faded into obscurity.

What caught our eye in the 2014-15 Autumn/Winter collections were the clutch bags carried by models walking the runway. Moreover, it appears that clutch bags are becoming smaller and thinner. With the spread of smartphones, which combine multiple functions in one device - phone, tablet, notebook, and camera - the contents of bags have been dramatically simplified, and perhaps this has led to the conclusion that lighter and smaller bags are more stylish. While practicality is a priority for bags, demand for clutches, which are worn as accessories, is also likely to increase.

Details are provided in the photo captions. The photos are, in order:
"LOUIS VUITTON"
"CHANEL"
"Stella McCartney"
"Dior"
"LANVIN"
"ISSEY MIYAKE"
"DRIES VAN NOTEN"
"NINA RICCI"
"VALENTINO"
"Chloé"